The Asian American Writers’ Workshop is now accepting applications for the 2024 Open City Fellowship.
Donor Name: Asian American Writers’ Workshop
State: New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/29/2023
Size of the Grant: $2,500
Grant Duration: 9 months
Details:
The Open City Fellowship is a unique opportunity for four emerging Asian American, Muslim, and Arab writers to publish narrative nonfiction on the vibrant East Asian, South and Southeast Asian, Arab and West Asian, and North and East African communities. The Fellowship is a nine-month stint for emerging writers of color to write about how Asian American and Muslim American lives are being lived in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
The Fellowship is looking for writers eager to hit the ground running covering Asian immigrant neighborhoods and writing about social justice issues that intersect with race, class, and gender equality. Each Fellow must adopt a specific neighborhood or community and a specific theme (i.e., mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, gentrification, local arts initiatives, etc.) and write stories that intertwine these geographical/cultural and thematic beats. They’re looking for writers to create deft, engaging narratives that bring the face, name, place, and heart of the community to issues like gentrification, immigration, Islamophobia, community policing, and racial and gender discrimination.
Funding Information
$2,500 for the duration of the nine-month grant period, delivered in three installments.
Consider applying if:
- You are a strong, voice-driven storyteller who cares about social justice movements and wants to transport readers to immigrant neighborhoods and communities;
- You are willing to spend time reporting on Asian and Muslim neighborhoods in the tristate area, are excited to cultivate trust and sources in your chosen neighborhood, and raring to talk to people about their lives, hopes, and fears;
- You understand the urgency in writing stories that depict how it is to be an Asian, a Muslim, and an immigrant in today’s America;
- Can demonstrate nonfiction writing experience and a dedication to developing a writing career;
- You are submitting work to magazines, journals, or other publications. While we prefer some publication record, we think the strength of your work is more important than its home;
- You are looking to grow and have some experience with the editorial process. You should view this as an opportunity to build a network and take advantage of AAWW’s creative initiatives.
Requirements
- During the fellowship term, fellows must live in the tristate area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
- Asian American and Asian diasporic writers are eligible to apply. “Asian American” is defined broadly to include not just, say, Chinese and Indian Americans, but also Asian American adoptee and multiracial writers, Indo-Caribbean writers, and West Asians, such as Iranians and Arab Americans.
For more information, visit Asian American Writers’ Workshop.
